Mac has had widgets since 2014 (memory check: OS X Yosemite), but the experience was unsatisfactory. With the limited functionalities and customizations, their widgets were not making much of a difference. Enter 2021, all hail macOS Monterey!
If you have not updated your Mac with Monterey yet, refer to this guide. You are missing a hell lot. Do you know the number of customizations you can achieve with your widgets? Has anyone checked out the third-party widgets yet? I know you might complain about putting too much effort into checking your battery percentage on Mac after the update; guess what, there is a widget for that too. Here are some of the best widgets for macOS Monterey I found helpful and easy to work with.
- Bigin by Zoho CRM
- Screen Time
- WaterMinder
- AirBuddy 2
- MindNode – Mind Map
- Exchange Rates 3
- CardPointers
- LookUp
- Parcel
- Scriptable
1. Bigin by Zoho CRM
Begin by Zoho is a must-have CRM for maximum results with minimal effort. With the new iOS update, Zoho went ahead and designed Begin, especially for Monterey, to improve the user experience for its users. From managing contacts to tracking your activities such as tasks, planning, scheduling, and executing, Begin covers most of it. The widget lets you view tasks, calls, or events according to your preference and keep it in your notifications. I prefer having a CRM over having separate widgets for tasks, to-dos, calls, etc., and Begin serves me just right.
If you want a widget just for your tasks, download SmartTasks or Things 3 instead.
Category: Productivity
Price: Free (Express – $8.99/month) Download
2. Screen Time
A must-have widget for everyone, Screen Time lets you monitor your screen time on individual apps, your total screen time, etc. I like the interface; all the sizes are visually appealing. For instance, the small one shows a line graph of total hours spent, the medium shows a line graph and ads, whereas the large one further breaks them down into categories. This is hands-down the best widget to monitor your screen time and check your on-screen time activity.
Category: Productivity
Default Installed on Mac
3. WaterMinder
A third-party app, this widget keeps track of your hydration and shows the amount of water you have consumed throughout the day. This widget comes with a couple of visual representations. Thus, it has different visuals set to curb your thirst(pun intended!) It is available in all small, medium, and large representations and each of these variations are very creative. Install it today and contribute your share towards healthy living. It’s good to have someone to remind you of your water intake at regular intervals.
Category: Health and Fitness
Price: $2.99 Download
4. AirBuddy 2
It came as a shock to most users that Apple did not develop a battery widget for Mac when it is available for iPhones. Guess Macs were not iPhonified completely. If you are an avid Apple user, you know how difficult it is to track battery usages of different devices, and this is precisely where AirBuddy 2 fills the gap. The widget looks just like the one on your iPhone and keeps you updated with the battery status of AirPods, AirPods cases, AirPods Max along with your device. I often forget I have them ON, and it’s time to charge them. Ever grateful to AirBuddy for being a savior.
Category: Utility
Price: $9.99 Download
5. MindNode – Mind Map
We all have different ways to plan our day. Many people prefer bullets to views their day’s schedule ( download Things 3 or Good Task). I need mind maps to function, and having my mindmaps open in Safari was not that satisfactory. With MindNode’s widget, it is now easier to have it pinned under my Notifications tab and have it in front of my eyes most of the time.
The small-sized widget shows a thumbnail that links to your most crucial mind map. The medium-sized version adds another mind map and buttons to a new mind map or buttons to start a new mind map or trigger the app’s Quick Entry menu bar app. If you do no pin a mind map, it will just show you recently-accessed ones.
Category: Productivity
Price: Free (Monthly Subscription $2.49 ) Download
6. Exchange Rates 3
This is a crucial widget for marketers, business professionals, and people who trade E-Commerce. This is a currency converter app that supports all-important world currencies, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum, and Ripple. The currency rates update automatically, so you can choose your preferred currency and check the real-time conversion rates. It also works offline, so you don’t necessarily need an active Internet connection. It has a simple interface and is easy to use. You should know that Exchange Rates 3 is an app to monitor rates, and it does not help you trade currencies.
Category: Finance
Price: $2.99 Download
7. CardPointers for Credit Cards
An app that saves you money, Creditpointers is a boon for people looking for discounts online. It provides four widget customization options, Available Offers, Best Card to Use, Best Cards By Category, and Card Summary. All four customizations are available in small and medium sizes. Choose whichever suits your needs best, and make sure to check these out before using that Credit Card. This has saved a few bucks and saves my time as I don’t have to keep researching which of my Cards to use for which purpose.
Category: Finance
Price: Free (Monthly Plan $3.99) Download
8. LookUp – English Dictionary
A tremendous app, LookUp is an online dictionary that helps you find meanings to unknown words. The widget is simple to use; it shows Word of the Day as text and might occasionally pop-up the image from the app’s collection of illustrations. When you click on the widget, you can read the meaning of the word, and other details, synonyms, uses, adjectives forms, etc. I enjoy having this widget on my screen because it shows you a new word, makes room to learn better words, and improves my language. Try it if you haven’t already!
Category: Reference
Price: $9.99 Download
9. Parcel – Delivery Tracking
This application lets you access tracking details of over 300 delivery services, including Royal Mail, DPD, Parcelforce, Hermes, TNT, FedEx, etc. Add this widget to your notifications to track your package; you can track more than one package too at the same time. The best part of having this widget is that it adds tracking data on its servers and simultaneously notify you on your iOS and Mac devices. It also has Push Notifications; enable them and stop worrying about tracking your packages. Since I order most of my things online, it keeps me updated about which to order and when to expect my deliveries.
Category: Utility
Price: Free (Premium Subscription $2.99) Download
10. Scriptable
While we have new widgets coming in the market every day, each better than the previous one, there is a smart way to get your preference widgets. To achieve that, all you have to do is use Scriptable and code widget yourself. It might seem not easy at first, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes relatively easy.
Category: Productivity
Price: Free Download